Daddy!
by troubadour12
Summary: “Daddy…?” Ian knew he was done for. Really, truly done for. And then she cried.
1. Chapter 1

_**Okay. So I really shouldn't be making another story when, in all honesty, the only story I've finished aside from Bleeding Hearts and my oneshots is…nada. But…I don't know, it's hard to resist. Really, really hard to resist. Especially when my mind's been nagging at me to write this.**_

_**I think I'll concentrate first on Dance With Me, Ma Cherie. Or wait, maybe A Rose's Thorns? No, Queen of the World Diaries sounds better at the moment…but so does Bleeding Hearts : The Revised Edition. As well as all the others…**_

_**Eh. I'll get back to my updating problem later. For now, here's the story.**_

***

**SUMMARY **

"_Daddy…?"_

_Ian knew he was done for. Really, truly done for._

_And then she cried._

***

The annual tour of the poisons gallery was one that the Kabras could never miss. The promise of new toxins, weapons that could incapacitate, vials of substances that had a million purposes and would serve well in their conquest dazzled them both. Even now, when Ian was 25 and Natalie was 22, they still made sure to be there.

After all, the poisons gallery itself was located in Lucian headquarters and spearheaded by their father long ago. It only made sense, as Branch Leaders of the clan, to grace the event with their presence.

"What is this?" Ian asked, idly picking up a clear vial that contained a silver liquid streaked with purple.

"It is a new toxin currently under development, sir," the head scientist was quick to answer.

"And what does it do?"

"We're not sure yet…it seems to result in anti-growth spurt…"

"Anit-growth spurt?" Ian frowned. "Does that mean we stay forever in our present forms?"

"Does that mean youth?" Natalie asked, removing her sunglasses to look at the man.

"Well, not entirely. It is unfinished as of the moment and we haven't been able to test it right now."

"Let me see that." Natalie moved to snatch it from her brother but Ian responded by holding it above her.

"It's dangerous. We don't know what it can do."

"We'll know now!" she snapped. "Have it tested!" Her hands scrambled for the clear bottle, managing to grasp it in her hand.

_Crack._

Suddenly, the bottle broke, and the siblings watched aghast as the glass shattered and the liquid poured.

Natalie shielded her face from the shards. Ian watched as the liquid fell on his sister, everyone else waiting with bated breath to see what would happen.

The substance coated the top of her head and nothing seemed forthcoming.

"My hair…is…is wet!" she spluttered.

_Poof._

And then a four-year-old Natalie, dragged down by her twenty-year-old body's clothes, appeared out of the puff of purple smoke.

Ian gulped. _Oh no._

***

A little later, Ian found himself in his office, setting down his sister on a velvet red chair. He turned to the flustered scientists who had concocted Toxin # 780, otherwise known as the Baby Formula. No, not milk, but literally turning adults to babies.

"So you're saying that it all depends on their age at that moment? Whatever the outcome would be?" Ian said, keeping a watchful eye on his sister who had refused diapers and normal onesies in favor of designer baby clothing. Well, it was Natalie, no matter the appearance.

"Y-yes. If she had been any younger than 18, she would be a newborn. As it is, we're glad she is just four years old."

"And none of you thought to inform me of this?"

"I-I did, sir."

"You said it was anti-growth spurt! Never in my life did I imagine it was to make adults into _babies!"_

"Well, if you'd poured the liquid on a baby, he or she would have become an adult," one of them mumbled.

Ian closed his eyes in frustration. "When will she be back to normal?"

"That-that depends. That's why it was marked as 'unfinished'. We haven't gotten around to specifying a certain time limit as to the effects."

"You do under---"

"WAAAHHHH!!!" Natalie cried, cutting off Ian's sentence. Alarmed, the scientists moved into one compressed circle, thinking that it would shield them from a temperamental little girl's wrath as Ian rushed over to where his sister sat.

"What's wrong?" he asked, picking her up and raising her to eye level.

"I want Pra-Pra clut…" Natalie wailed.

Ian looked at her, confused. "Did you mean, Prada clutch?" he guessed.

The teary-eyed girl nodded.

"Do you want a new one?"

Natalie shook her head vigorously. Though her mind knew that she shouldn't be crying, and she could formulate words --- in fact, she had retained her intelligence even in this form --- still her body would not allow her to act on her thoughts and instead acted by the instincts of a toddler.

She pointed helplessly at the bag that sat on Ian's desk, lower lip trembling.

"Hold on," Ian said, trying to decide whether to bring her along or put her down and get the object. Natalie hit his head impatiently.

"Ow," he gasped. He carried her, albeit awkwardly, and opened the clutch. "What do you want?"

"Put down."

"Huh?"

"I believe she wants you to put her down," the head scientist offered then shirked away when Natalie shot him a venomous glare.

Ian did so, getting more frustrated. He had no experience whatsoever dealing with kids and he couldn't be expected to take care of one right now!

Natalie's pudgy fingers rummaged through her purse and barely brought up her BlackBerry.

"Call Mummy," she ordered her brother, pushing the phone to him.

Ian started to refuse, saying, "I don't really think --- "

"Now!" Natalie ordered. Though her voice was younger, Ian could see the signs of a full-blown tantrum. With a sigh, he dialed his mother.

"_Natalie?"_

"Mother, it's me."

"_Ian. Is anything the problem? Is the tour done?"_

"We're in…a bit of a pickle."

"_Care to elaborate?"_

Ian decided to hurry it along, as Natalie's hand on his tightened each second and her lips pursed.

"Something happened to Natalie."

"_And that is…?"_

Ian put the phone in front of his sister.

"M-Mummy?"

"_Natalie? Is that you?" _Isabelle was clearly bewildered to hear her daughter speaking in a voice she wasn't expecting her daughter to have.

Natalie was trying to control her emotions. She bit her lip. But she couldn't do a thing to stop what happened next.

The waterworks burst and she began to bawl.

"_Natalie? Natalie! Cease that at once!"_

Ian picked up the BlackBerry and his sister, trying to soothe Natalie and speak to his mother at the same time.

"An accident happened. You see…" And Ian related the tale.

"_Ian, we will be there. Take care of your sister. Be her babysitter for the day while we resolve this."_

"I---"

The other line went dead.

Ian looked at the huddled scientists. "Get out now and wait for my mother and father."

They gladly complied, shuffling out of the door nervously.

Ian looked at the little girl in his arms. "Ice cream?"

Natalie scowled.

***

_**Not much, really. Well, I'll debate with myself now over continuing this as well as other fanfics.**_

_**Adieu.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**This will be a three-shot. Or four-shot. But only up to there. I'll finish this first then update the others. 'Kay? 'Coz I only use one document for my updates, so…**_

***

**SUMMARY**

"_Daddy…?"_

_Ian knew he was done for. Really, truly done for._

_And then she cried._

***

Ian was seriously, seriously, _seriously _tired. He felt as if he'd been caught up in a tornado, whirled around and got hit by various debris, thrown across seas and countries, fell down to earth with an impact that resulted in a crater, and relentlessly bombarded with hailstones.

If that didn't describe just how exhausted he was, he didn't know what would.

"Please," he begged the little girl that stood in front of him, hands on hips. He bent down to talk to her at eye-level.

Natalie stomped her feet adamantly. "Shop!" she ordered.

"Sister, I'm afraid I can't take it and neither can my wallet," Ian said, trying to make her see reason. This was the first time he'd ever had to say that. Natalie had swiped his credit card when he wasn't looking and proceeded to use it for every trivial purchase.

Trivial? What she bought cost quite an amount. There was over five million euros now left in his bank account --- the one with the least deposit --- and though Ian had at least ten other accounts, he couldn't stand the thought of having one of them half-empty.

"Whatcha sayin'? You have exactly---"

Ian clapped his hand over her mouth before she broadcast it to the whole world. She blinked and struggled against his hand but Ian, tired though he was, picked her up and requested his bodyguard to bring all of Natalie's bags to the limousine.

"Now, Natalie, I don't care if you kick and scream, but we are going to eat. I haven't even had lunch yet," he said, annoyed.

Natalie's eyes narrowed and she bit his hand, causing Ian to nearly drop her. "Blast it!" he shouted. "Can't you behave?"

His sister's face turned red, redder than her blush-on. "D-Daddy…?" she wondered, looking up at him, her eyes brimming with tears.

_Uh-oh._

Ian knew he was done for. Really, truly done for.

And then she cried.

In front of the couples walking out of spas. In front of the elderly seated on benches. In front of the families coming out of shopping sprees. In front of the crowd.

The crowd that glanced around then settled its accusing eyes on him and his bawling baby sister.

"_Can't he take care of her?"_

"_Poor girl!"_

"_I wonder what he did?"_

"_Aww! Such a sweet little child! But she's crying."_

"_Is he her father? Looks pretty young to me."_

"_He's handsome, but he obviously has no parenting skill."_

Ian had the decency to look down from the sound and speculation of the heated whispers.

"Ian?"

He turned to see a young lady coming out of the crowd, her reddish-brown hair and jade-green eyes standing out from the rest. A necklace swung from around her neck.

There was no mistaking her identity.

"Amy," he stated, shifting Natalie in his arms for a more comfortable grip. His sister had stopped crying, gazing with interest at the approaching woman.

"_Oh, is that the mother?"_

"_Shame. She's pretty but her daughter didn't inherit a thing."_

"_Typical. Beautiful couple but horrible parents."_

Pink stained Amy's cheeks.

"Hey." She didn't quite know what to say. Last she heard, Ian was single, unattached. So why was he carrying a child? "Um…she looks like you."

"Darn well she does," Ian muttered. "But she's not my daughter."

Amy did a double take. "She's not?"

"No."

Amy was at a loss for words. But the girl bore a remarkable resemblance to the man holding her! How could it be?

"Mommy?" Natalie stared at Amy. A light shone in her eyes. "Mommy!"

"Excuse me? Hush, Natalie! You know full well that isn't your mother!" Ian exclaimed.

A word had embedded itself in Amy's mind and the whole scenario made sense…almost. "Natalie?" She blinked. "I…_What happened?_"

"What about if I tell you over lunch?" Ian offered, aware that the people surrounding them were curious enough to eavesdrop.

"Sure," Amy agreed, wanting to get to the bottom of this mystery. "Um, Ian?"

"Yes?"

"May I hold her?" she asked.

"Why?" Ian inquired, aghast. He was having a hard enough time balancing her.

"Because you're holding her the wrong way," Amy explained.

"Oh."

***

"Low-fat latte, please," Natalie beamed at the waiter in his fine uniform.

"Um…"

"No. You may have the milkshake but not the latte," Ian countered.

"But I want…I want…"

Amy reached to stop Natalie's flailing fists. "A latte isn't good for your body, Natalie. Neither is a milkshake." She shot a glance at Ian. "But some chocolate milk should do the trick, yes? With pike perch in white sauce and chestnut delight?"

Natalie considered this for a moment. Then she nodded. "Waiter, I shall have the choc---"

"That's logged," the waiter assured her. "And you, sir? Madame?"

"Whatever your special is along with black tea," Ian told him.

"And water," Amy added.

When the waiter went away, Amy looked at Ian expectantly. "So what happened? Why is she now…" Amy observed Natalie for a few seconds. "Um…three years old?"

"Four," Ian corrected. "Well." He paused, realizing that he couldn't tell Amy about what went on within his branch. "A substance fell on her a while ago." There. Carefully vague.

Amy sighed. "You know, if you don't want to tell me, you could have just said so."

"I---"

Amy held up a hand and took out her buzzing phone. "Dan?"

She listened intently, eyes searching for something. "Mm-hmm. Yes, no, turn left when you pass there. Uh-huh. Okay." She closed it.

Her brother burst in through the doors and headed to their table. He glared hostilely at Ian but the latter ignored his searing gaze, choosing to fuss over his sister, who had picked up a spoon and was banging it on the wooden table.

_What are you doing with the Cobra? And who's the kid? _Dan demanded, trying to seek an explanation from Amy's face.

_The kid is Natalie. And he's not taking care of her so well, I'm worried._

_You? Worried about them? This isn't some kind of a joke is it?_

Amy shook her head.

Dan's eyebrows knit themselves together. Then he fell onto the empty seat beside Amy. Just as he opened his mouth, Natalie threw the spoon, the projectile entering his mouth. Dan automatically closed his lips over it then slowly took it out, the silver shine dulled with his saliva.

"What the---!"

"No cursing in front of a child," Amy admonished him, trying not to laugh at her brother's dumbstruck expression, looking from the spoon to Natalie and back again. Ian was far from happy, however.

"Natalie! This isn't like you!" Ian said in dismay.

"Blame my instincts, not me, dear brother. I have no control over it," Natalie replied sullenly.

"But surely---"

"That's enough, Ian. Don't hurt her feelings. She'll only cry," Amy warned.

Dan put down the spoon from the earlier incident. "Well, at least that means she can't pull out her dart gun on us."

Natalie frowned. Then she grabbed the purse sitting on Ian's lap, undid the clasp, and before any of them could react, had the said gun pointed at Dan.

Dan swallowed.

"I'm sorry, Miss, but firearms are not allowed here," the waiter said, appearing out of nowhere and bearing their food.

"It's a toy," Ian swiftly lied.

The waiter looked skeptical but he felt Natalie's anger and saw Ian's Armani suit as signs to back off. He did not speak any further on the subject, choosing to set down the dishes.

Thirty minutes later, the bill was paid, the food was finished, and the four of them could not believe they were standing in the center of Toys R Us.

"CARE CARE!" Natalie shrieked excitedly, toddling over to the shelves.

"Care Care?" Ian repeated, looking as if he wished he were somewhere else. Or at least, that this was a very, very bad dream he would soon wake up from.

"Care Bear," Amy translated for him.

Dan saw the display of ninja video games. "The new edition is out!" he exclaimed.

"Dan!" Amy called helplessly. She and Ian exchanged looks and let out frustrated breaths.

"Yo, my homeys!" Jonah Wizard swaggered toward them, wearing sunglasses, his usual glimmering chains, "gangsta" clothing, and a hat pulled low to hide his face.

"What are you doing here?" Ian demanded, shocked. He hadn't seen this repulsive, shimmering toad a while ago.

"Try'na advertise my new bling, yo," Jonah explained. "Business and all that. What about you?"

"Er, um," Amy began. "…Little siblings?"

"Oh, g---"

"IAN!" came a familiar bellow and Natalie puttered toward them. Behind her, a clerk held box after box of Care Bears, creating one staggering pile.

"No," Ian gasped.

"AMY!" Dan practically _skipped _to them, hands full with video games. "Pay for these, will ya?"

Amy could only splutter as the items were shoved into her protesting hands.

"Got to go, man," Jonah said, quick to spot trouble brewing. He scampered away.

In his haste, his hat fell and his sunglasses slipped down.

Jonah watched them fall. His heart sank as his fans spotted him, his cover blown, the great Jonah Wizard caught in the middle of a freakin' toy store with flirtatious women on all sides.

They attacked.

He screamed, the same scream as Amy and Ian let out themselves.

"NOOOOOO!!!"


	3. Chapter 3

**DADDY!**

***

**SUMMARY**

"_Daddy…?"_

_Ian knew he was done for. Really, truly done for._

_And then she cried._

***

Natalie didn't understand herself. She had spotted a shelf stuffed full with Care Bears and had felt her heart beating fast, the same way it beat when she spotted a new designer outfit that she just _had _to have. A sparkle came to her eyes and she had rushed for it, forgetting for a moment that she was, in all actuality, twenty-two years old and had outgrown stuffed toys since…well, since she was born. Natalie couldn't remember a time when _anyone _had given her a stuffed toy. Not that she'd _ever _asked for one. Clothes had always been the way to go, aside from top-notch devices and a collection of toxins tucked away in a special display case.

_What am I doing?_ she thought to herself in horror, dragging a clerk along with her and piling on boxes and boxes of the stuff. But she continued doing it and had hopped back to her brother with the purchases, the gleam still visible in her eyes, her expectant face looking up at Ian.

Ian was having a mental breakdown. As well as a financial breakdown. He had always thought Natalie was impulsive and shallow, but it hadn't bothered him that much before. She had always used her own credit card, her own cash. Now that she was dependent on him --- and very demanding about it, too --- he had just realized how disadvantageous that was.

After the initial scream which no one had noticed since most people had joined in the chase after Jonah --- although, he couldn't understand what the draw was --- he had said, in a firm and clear tone: "No."

Natalie blinked. Her lip quivered. Her eyes were suspiciously bright all of a sudden. And wide. Her shoulders hunched. _Blast it! _Natalie thought. _What is this…?_

And she suddenly began to bawl. Tears ran down her chubby cheeks and she sobbed uncontrollably, hiccupping all throughout.

Ian was nonplussed. But he managed to recover himself after the second of surprise passed. "You can't fool me with your faux crying, Natalie. The answer is still _no,_" he told her sternly.

This only served to make the child cry harder until she started turning a bit blue.

Ian regarded her uncertainly. "Natalie? Are you all right?"

His four-year-old sister's response was a rather loud wail. She was becoming bluer in the face.

Alarmed, Ian picked her up and began cradling her. "Shush, shush, don't cry," he said, panicked. "Don't cry, that's a good girl."

Natalie couldn't breathe from all that bawling. She was furious with herself for being so weak in front of many people. Her brother might have been fine, but Ian, Dan, and the store clerk? That was unacceptable! Still, she couldn't quite stem the flow of her tears.

"Sto…Stop sta-in!" she screamed at Dan and Amy.

Both were confused. The ninja video game tapes lay abandoned at Dan's feet as he and his sister argued.

"Sta-in?" Amy asked, eyebrows knitted together.

"Look…loo…way!" Natalie jabbed a pudgy baby finger at the general area behind Amy and Dan.

"Look loo way?" Dan repeated, bewildered.

Ian glanced at them over his shoulder, rubbing his sister's back soothingly. "I think she's saying that she doesn't want you to see her crying," he explained. "Right, Natalie?"

Natalie scowled and thunked him on the head with her fist.

"Ow!" Ian gasped, but he dared not let go of his sister. There would be hell to pay if he did.

"Um, sir?" the clerk said, his arms trembling under the weight of so many packages. He didn't really understand what was going on at the moment, but he knew that the store was empty, he was the only available employee, and he was holding quite a load. "Will you be paying for this?"

The pleading look on Natalie's face wrenched Ian out of his resolve. _Blast it, _he muttered. Who would have thought that the merciless Ian Kabra couldn't find it in his heart to disappoint a little kid? If anyone saw him now, he'd never hear the end of it. It was so humiliating to be controlled by a four-year-old just by their tears, their expressions, and their impossibly wide, impossibly innocent eyes.

"I…I'll take them all," he sighed. Natalie clapped in glee, bouncing joyfully in his arms. "You are paying for this when you return to normal," he reminded her.

"I don't think that's a good decision," Amy piped up tentatively. At Natalie's request, they had turned their backs, but they could still hear what was being said. "She'll be spoiled."

"This is Natalie we're talking about, love ---"

"Don't call me 'love'!" Amy interrupted, turning her head to scowl at him.

Ian flashed her a brilliant smile. "Natalie's already spoiled. I don't see how this could make her any worse."

"Yay!" Natalie gurgled happily.

Dan frowned, facing them. Now that Natalie was done with her crying jag, it was probably safe to look at her now. "Do you even understand what's going on?" he asked.

"Of courth!" the little girl lisped.

"Sir…"

"Oh, yes." Ian took out his wallet and threw a wad of bills into the man's outstretched hand. "I think that covers it?"

The clerk put down the boxes and skimmed through the cash. "Yes," he said, awed at the thought of someone having so much money.

"Hey, Amy, what about my video games?" Dan asked, crossing her arms.

Amy put her hands on her hips. "How old are you again?" she demanded.

"22."

"Therefore, you should be the one paying," she concluded. "You're old enough."

"But, Natalie --- she's 22 too!" Dan protested, finding this unfair.

"Natalie is currently four years old."

They stared each other down. Then, dejected, Dan picked up the video games and started to return them to their shelf.

Amy bit her lip. Yes, Dan was 22, but he was still her little brother. Shouldn't she be taking care of him? They had only each other now.

Guilt rose up and choked her as she watched her brother.

"Fine," she said, giving in. Dan's face lit up. "But only…five."

Exhaling, Amy paid for the purchase.

They left Toys R Us and saw Jonah cowering behind black-suited bodyguards.

"I wonder when he'll be able to leave," Ian mused, shifting his sister to a more comfortable position. Some of the store employees had returned, gasping and panting, and had been told to carry the boxes.

"Let's not worry about him," Amy said. "We've got our own problems."

"You're right, cherie," Ian agreed.

Amy frowned. "Don't call me pet names in languages I do not understand."

"Hey, Amy shouldn't we be going now?" Dan piped up.

"Oh, right. We'll leave now, Ian," Amy said. She nodded at the little girl. "Natalie."

They were walking away when Natalie's hand darted forward and grabbed hold of Amy's shirt, yanking her back.

"Argh!"

"Mommy! Stay!" Natalie commanded.

"What?" Amy gasped.

Ian looked into his sister's eyes. "Natalie? Is everything fine?"

Natalie scowled. "Want…Mommy!"

"But you already have a mother. See, your Mummy Isabel?" He took out a picture of the formidable woman and showed it to Natalie. "And also a father. Daddy Vikram, remember?" He showed her Vikram's photo this time.

Natalie shook her head. She pointed at Amy. "Mommy!" Then at Ian. "Daddy."

Amy and Ian looked at each other then quickly looked away.

"What am I, chopped liver?" Dan muttered. "Come on, Amy."

_**BEEP.**_

Ian scrambled for his phone and saw that the caller was his mother. "Hello?"

"_Ian, how is Natalie right now?_"

He glanced at his sister and assessed her. "She's fine. A complete terror, but fine."

Natalie pouted.

"_Listen to me. Take her home. Remind her who she is, over and over again. We're trying to formulate an antidote but it may not be done for at least two days, and your father and I have to watch over it. However, we've just learned that the poison has some disastrous effects. If not properly medicated, Natalie will deteriorate until she really will be a four-year-old, and when she returns to her normal state, her mental stability may be shaky. Please, take care of her. She will also point out her parents, not us, and for our sake, play along with it. Because if you refuse her choices, when she's 22 again, she'll think that she doesn't have parents at all."_

"What?"

"_You heard me, Ian. I have to go now."_

"But---"

_**END CALL.**_

Ian stashed away his phone and swore. "You'll have to come with us," he told Amy and Dan.

"Why?" Amy asked.

"Natalie thinks you're her mother. If no one acts as a mother figure, she will not recognize anyone as her mother at all when she returns to normal."

"That's…that's insane!" Amy spluttered.

"So I've heard," Ian said grimly. "Please."

"I…"

"Mommy!" Natalie wriggled out of Ian's arms. Amy just barely caught her.

Okay, so Natalie might have been freaky. But she was actually cute, and Amy had always been a softie.

"I accept."

Ian smiled. "Let's get going."

They walked away, followed by their teetering stacks of purchases.

"Hey! Have you forgotten me?" Dan demanded.

Amy looked over her shoulder.

"Come along, Dan."

Dan walked to her side. "I'm telling you, going to this mall was a big mistake."

They went out into the parking lot where a limousine was parked, having all the space to itself.

"Tell me about it," Amy replied.

They put away the lot and climbed into the car. It sped away in the direction of the Kabra Manor.

And inside the limousine were three adults and a baby.

***

_**Okay. So it might not be as short as I thought.**_

_**Well.**_

_**I'll work on it, though.**_

_**Review?**_

_**Godspeed, **_

_**~troubadour12~**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**I couldn't just leave without at least doing – or writing – something. I'm not guaranteeing that I'll come back to FFnet, but I hope that I will finish my stories, somehow, someday. I will say, however, that I'm not deleting my account or stories.**_

_**And just because I'm leaving does not mean that this is the last chapter of 'Daddy!'. It most certainly is not.**_

_**I recommend listening to 'Ave Maria' by Beyonce for this one.**_

It wasn't the very little stack of video games by his elbow that bothered him. Nor was it the couple tiptoeing all over the room as if afraid they'd wake up a monster. Or even the fact that the pigeons aside we're teasing him with their freedom.

No, it was the fact that _poisonous, spiteful, spoiled brat _Natalie Kabra was clinging on to him like iron fillings to magnet or a cat with its claws snarled in cloth. She was small, yes. Weight wasn't the problem. The problem lay with him being her 'teddy bear' when boxes of stuffed toys were piled up in a corner of the room, and her 'supposed parents' were just letting it be.

"Traitor."

Amy smiled at him. "Oh, come on, Dan. It isn't that bad. Just a few more hours."

"My leg is numb!"

"Shush, you'll wake her," Ian said, rearranging the blankets on his sister's sleeping form while distractedly telling him off.

"…Ugh." He couldn't even protest. Little Natalie had been a nightmare from the start, flinging food on walls, making a mess on the carpet though Amy had tried to bring her to the toilet, playing dress-up with Dan as her maid, Amy as the queen, Ian as the king, and the brat as the princess. She had practically swamped the place with her tears, scared off all the servants, and raged through the halls when she wasn't given what she wanted. No one was about to wake her up when they desperately needed her to shut down.

"Don't worry, Daniel. It will soon be over. Hopefully." Ian didn't sound so sure and everyone else knew that, but no one contradicted him.

"Any news?" Amy asked, moving closer to her brother.

Ian took out his phone and showed the screensaver to her. No notifications at all. "I'm afraid not. It must be bad."

She flopped down on the floor, cross-legged. "It's getting late. I can't go through this for another day."

"You are an excellent mother." Ian sat down beside her. Amy blinked. A Kabra, on the floor when there were armchairs everywhere, perhaps even a throne somewhere in this mansion?

Dan cleared his throat. Both of them glared pointedly at the girl in his arms. He lowered his voice. "Maybe you could try calling your parents."

Ian sighed. "I would rather we wait. If I call them now, I might just be interrupting them, and we can't afford anymore interruptions."

"Just try!"

"No."

"Keep quiet!" Amy leapt up as quickly as she had sat down, and Dan felt Natalie stir. She began to sing softly. "Twinkle, twinkle, little star…"

"Can't you think of anything else?" Dan hissed, watching for any signs of wakefulness.

"Fine," she snapped. "Baa, baa, black sheep, have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full…"

Dan rolled his eyes. "Never mind."

"Well, why don't you do it?" she huffed and challenged him with her stare.

"No way, I'm not singing to her. I'm already holding her, that's enough for me, thank you." Natalie shifted again, eyebrows knit together.

"Then keep quiet. Tick, tock, the mouse ran up the clock…"

"Love –"

The disgruntled look on Amy's face was enough to interrupt him.

"Tick, tock…"

"Um, Amy, I believe it goes, 'Hickory, dickory, dock'," Ian pointed out.

Amy stopped. "Does it even matter?"

"Yeah, I don't think she can hear it anymore," Dan said. Natalie had stopped shifting.

"Thank goodness." Amy sat back down.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

"What did I do wrong?" Amy was visibly panicked. "I only stopped singing!"

"WAAAAAHHHH!"

"Maybe she's hungry," Ian suggested.

"WAAAAAHHHH!"

"Hurry up, I'm dying here," Dan said, a distraught and red-faced Natalie practically squeezing the breath out of his lungs.

Amy was back with a bottle of milk and handed it to Dan, who unceremoniously stuffed it into Natalie's mouth, wide open for another scream.

"Dan!"

"What, she's choking me and I can't choke her, too?" Dan protested.

"She's a baby!" Gently, Amy prized the toddler's hands off of Dan's neck, which left marks on his skin. Then she removed the bottle from Natalie's mouth.

"Waahh – hic."

Amy reinserted the bottle and took the child from Dan's arms, murmuring soothing words and rocking her back and forth. "In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight…"

"I swear, Amy, your song choices are getting random," Dan said, rubbing his neck and trying to get some feeling worked into his numb leg.

"Here, let me," Ian said, and Amy passed Natalie to him. "Don't poison her young mind with such songs."

Amy gaped at him in disbelief.

In one smooth move, Ian pressed a button on a control panel attached to the wall, and orchestra music started playing. "We may be Lucians, but Kabras are connoisseurs of classical music."

And his sister seemed to agree.

Five minutes later, the bottled was drained and Natalie was back to sleep. Ian laid her on her bed this time, sucking her thumb. He frowned. "That habit is so vulgar."

"It's normal," Amy said, not yet forgiving him for saying that the songs she had been singing were poisoning the little girl.

"We Kabras suck sugar-coated golden spoons, not our thumbs," Ian replied, oblivious to her disparaging tone. "Unfortunately, those spoons are imported from Belgium and their stocks are currently non-existent."

Amy pursed her lips.

Dan started walking out of the room. "Hey, Cobra, you don't mind if I use your video game console, would you?"

"We don't have one."

Dan froze as if he thought somebody had just told him ninjas were not cool. Which was completely untrue. Ninjas ruled the world. "_What?_"

"We don't have any video game console. It is beyond us to even fiddle with those cheap devices." Ian's upper lip was curled into a sneer.

"But…but…" Dan spluttered. "How could you _not _have a console?"

"How could you still play games at 22?" Ian answered him with a question of his own.

"…"

_**BEEP.**_

"Mother?"

"_This is your father, Ian."_

"Oh."

There was a pause.

"_Oh, what?"_ Vikram prompted.

"Oh…" Ian searched his mind for the appropriate title, "…sir."

"_That will do. Where are you right now?"_

"The mansion."

"_It seems that we've run into more technical difficulties. We'd like to meet you in the usual place. Bring Natalie along. We have to analyze her."_

"All –"

_**Click. **_

"—right."

He snapped the phone shut and turned to the Cahills. "You are coming with me."

"But –"

"Butts are for sitting," Ian said, scooping his sister up carefully.

Amy eyed him weirdly. "Did you get that from The Clique?"

Ian didn't answer. He was too busy speaking into the intercom.

"Chauffeur 117, South Entrance, in 15 minutes. I want the Mercedes."

Without a word, they left the room, Dan closing the door.

The empty milk bottle rolled off the bed and onto the floor.

_**Unedited and crappy, but there you have it.**_

_**~troubadour12~**_


	5. Chapter 5

"What are they doing here?"

"You told me that whoever Natalie wanted as parents, we should indulge her," Ian said, keeping his face as blank as he possibly could while facing his mother and father, none of whom were pleased at the situation. He wasn't comfortable with it, either, especially considering how Natalie would react if Vikram and Isabel were to do something drastic right now and send Amy and Dan away. The two had been a part of calming his little sister – literally – and he had been grateful for it.

Though of course, he _was _wary of why they'd stuck around. They had always been free to leave, from the start, and he somehow doubted that an intimate relationship with Natalie was keeping them. That was something that verged entirely on the untrue and the improbable, and he had been wondering if they were holding out for some kind of reward.

They had been quiet all throughout the car ride, which he'd understood. Not only was it a precaution so as to avoid exciting Natalie's inner, insatiable brat which demanded every piece of attention available for her to take, he also knew that Amy was miffed and Dan was too busy with his video games. Not that Daniel had actually been able to play them, what with the lack of a console; but that didn't stop him from imagining what would happen. And Amy…well it was impolite of him to take a jab at her singing, but to be honest, though she had an acceptable voice, it didn't quite pass the standards of a Kabra.

"This is all highly irregular," Vikram said, eyeing Amy and Dan with distaste. His gaze flickered to his son, and Ian could almost read his mind: _Is this the girl you've fallen for and boy you've lost to? _It was a valid question, but under the circumstances, he wasn't going to answer it.

"I agree," Dan piped up, clearly seeing this as an opportunity to go. He tugged on Amy's arm. "So we should be leaving now."

"Stay," Ian commanded, the same time as his mother. He looked at her, puzzled.

Isabel addressed her words to Ian. "You say that she recognizes this…girl as her mother. Well. We'll keep her around for a little while, but her brother may go."

"What?" Dan protested. "It's all or nothing, lady."

Isabel drew herself up and raised her chin. "You may call me Aunt Isabel."

"Natalie thinks he's her teddy bear," Ian interrupted. Noticing the disbelief on his parents' faces, he added, "Not exactly that, maybe he thinks he's her brother. In any case, we need him around."

During the conversation, Natalie had been in Amy's arms, keeping quiet. Now, her eyes round, she began to struggle against Amy. "Brother," she lisped.

"Ian," Amy said, and held the child out to him.

"Not Daddy, I want brother!" She began to beat her tiny fists on Amy's back and her face turned red, the moments before explosion, a sign everyone recognized. "Brother! Brother! Brother!" With each repetition of the word, she turned redder, her voice getting higher.

"So you're her father now?" Vikram asked as he watched his daughter.

"Ah – well – yes," Ian replied, distracted. "Give her to Daniel," he told Amy.

"Excuse me? Dan isn't her brother."

Yes, she was definitely mad. Ian pushed it down his list of concerns and prioritized his nearly-there-to-tantrum sister, and taking him into her arms from a reluctant Amy, he passed her on to Dan, who eyed the child like it was a repulsive creature.

"I am not holding her," he announced, drawing stairs from passers-by. He lowered his voice. "I've been tortured enough already."

"Brother!" Natalie squealed.

Making a face, he took her, silently communicating to Amy that she owed him.

"One question answered, more to go," Ian said. "What about the antidote?"

"Amy and Dan Cahill," Isabel said, ignoring him. "We will be taking you to the Lucian headquarters blindfolded. As Natalie must have her makeshift family with her, we will not take no for an answer. So if you'll close your eyes, it'll be much easier."

"I'm holding a child," Dan pointed out.

"And so you are," Vikram said, unfazed. "I'm sure you are capable of holding her even not seeing, yes?"

"No."

Vikram shrugged. "Well then, you'll have to learn."

He snapped his fingers and two men orbiting them since a while ago came forward, leading the Cahills into the car. Isabel and Vikram followed, and Ian, after instructing Chauffeur 117 to return home and replace the Mercedes to car port 8, took the passenger's seat.

"Don't worry," he told the brother and sister, who both wore identical expressions of defiance. "Nothing bad will happen. Just protocol, although we usually keep visitors on handcuffs and chains, with a gun pointed at them." He cocked his head in Natalie's direction. "Since our assassin is currently out of remission and handcuffs are detrimental, blindfolds are the next best thing."

Vikram snapped his fingers again. The two men proceeded to blindfold Amy and Dan, the two of them tensing up at the loss of sight. Dan's grip around Natalie tightened, obviously feeling on the edge. Amy wasn't as rigid as he was, but Ian could sense that her guard was up and though lacking the use of her eyes, she was alert in terms of hearing and whatever she could pick up from her environment.

"Let's get going."

* * *

Amy did not like being forced to sit on a chair for an indefinite number of hours, blindfolded, in a soundproof room, and feeling relatively alone. If Dan's deep breathing had not been an indication of some other human, she would have felt alone and would have panicked. She tried to keep her emotions in check, restraining her usual _fight or flight _response from being triggered.

When Natalie had been taken from Dan, her brother had been relieved and she had been anxious. True to form, not two seconds of her "brother's" arms, Natalie had gone wild. From the crashing and breaking sounds, she probably destroyed a considerable amount of glass, porcelain, ceramic, or whatever fragile object they'd had in the room. Her screams had quieted, and Amy could only guess that she was being soothed by something, possibly a toy, or bribes.

It was disconcerting to be in the dark.

The door opened, wind rushed in, along with a stream of muted voices. They all sounded the same: general, unrecognizable chatter. The door closed.

"Who's there?" she and Dan asked at the same time.

"Ian Kabra, the one and only."

"Jerk," Dan muttered under his breath.

"Arrogant," Amy said more loudly.

"Ah, love…still angry about the songs?"

"You insulted me," she said. "Of course I'm angry. Where's Natalie?"

"Why did you and Dan stay?" Ian asked.

"You weren't exactly going to let us leave," Amy pointed out.

"True. Natalie's still being analyzed."

"Any progress?"

"Well, if you can call progress the smashing of breakable objects…"

"No, I don't."

"When will you let us go?" Dan asked.

"The analysis is nearly done, I think. I'll go check."

Ian stood and left the room, Amy and Dan sensing his every step.

When he was gone, Dan let out a sigh. "Can't we take these things off?"

"They have surveillance," Amy said.

"Well, heck," he muttered.

She reached out to take her brother's hand. Dan let her hold it, albeit reluctantly. "You know what we have to do," she reminded him softly. "If we have to make this side trip, then we'll both just have to sacrifice."

"Yeah," he said. He sighed again. "I just wish we could stop pretending…"

"But we can't."

"All right," Dan said, "All right. It's just a few more minutes anyway, maybe a few days. Then we can finish our job with the Kabras."

* * *

_**Another chapter – Done!**_

_**Comments, reviews, suggestions? The button is waiting to be clicked.**_

_**Thanks for reading,**_

_**Troubadour12**_


	6. Chapter 6

Natalie Kabra liked the test tube. It was made of glass and it contained some kind of purplish liquid. She wanted to reach out and hold it, but it was too far away. She didn't like the adults surrounding her. They made her lie down on the bed, and they just stood there, taking notes. They shone a bright orange light into her eyes which made her see white and yellow spots afterwards. They asked her to do things like raise her hand "if you understand us" and blink twice for "no". She never had to blink twice, though; she understood them perfectly well.

She hated it when they forced her to poo into a plastic container. People were supposed to do their "business" in toilets, not plastic containers. She wanted to cry and was just about to when that scary woman glared at her. Of course, that only made her want to cry more – except that the woman had bent down to whisper in her ear: "Keep quiet or else."

The woman was pretty, though. So was the test tube.

"Pretty bottle," she said, crawling all over the bed, hand held out for the test tube which no one was about to give her. She liked purple. She liked the way the bottle shimmered in the light of the fluorescent lamps. It was very bright in here, and though it hurt her eyes when she looked up, it still felt like she was under the spotlight. She didn't mind.

Daddy was waiting for her at the other end of the table. His amber eyes flashed with something she did not recognize, and he was scooping her up. "Yes, Natalie?"

"Pretty bottle," she said again, squirming. "Put me down, Daddy. I want pretty bottle."

Daddy laughed, though she felt there was an undercurrent of nervousness in his laughter. "Come, be a good girl. We're nearly done." He brought her back to the bed and put her down.

Natalie wanted to protest, but the scary woman was looking at her again. She kept her mouth shut. No bottle was beautiful enough to make her risk facing that woman's wrath.

"Okay, daddy, I'll be a good girl."

* * *

Ian was trying his best to shield his sister from Isabel Kabra. His mother was not pleased with the way things were going. Little by little, Natalie was deteriorating into toddler mentality. It was eerie how she lisped words which, technically speaking, were advanced for her age. Somehow, though her actions were that of a baby's, her intelligence remained the same.

No one knew how long it would last.

At least he wasn't in the scientists' position. They were sweating under the steady gaze of their ex-Branch Leaders, the victim was their current Branch Leader, and the victim's brother was also a Branch Leader. With a powerful Lucian family in the room, it was hard not to be frightened. A few minutes ago, one of them had broken down. He had been sent out, detrimental as he was to the progress of the research. Ian was sure he wouldn't see the poor bloke ever again.

He kept his hold on Natalie's chubby fist. She had wanted to touch the test tube containing the preliminary antidote to the poison and was insistent about it. He'd only just managed to stop her in time. Mummy's glare was too murderous for the both of them to challenge.

"We're done," the head scientist said. He was clasping and unclasping his hands, a feat considering he was also holding a clipboard. "We will be formulating another antidote."

"How long?" Isabel asked. No, it was more of a snap. The briskness of her tone, the impatience in her movements, the feeling that she would start calling everyone an idiot and "unworthy of being a Lucian" was a distinct threat. Vikram, in contrast, was letting his wife run the show. He had not said much, apart from consenting to certain procedures. Yelling was not the way he commanded others to do the work. He let Isabel do most of the work and followed up afterwards.

"Three to four days."

The expression on Isabel's face spoke volumes of her displeasure. "Can you not find a quicker method?"

"Madame, this requires careful handling. Some of the ingredients needed are rare and quite hard to process."

"_Then why, in the name of Luke Cahill, did you not do this earlier?_"

"It…it was still being tested, Madame. We weren't sure of how effective it would be." The head scientist was trying – and failing – to keep his cool. It was obvious that the pale stick of a man had spent too much in the laboratories and less time on any official missions. Ian made a note to send him to one next time – if there was a next time. Instinct told him otherwise.

"Daddy," Natalie said plaintively, holding out her arms. Ian obliged and carried her.

"We'll go check on the Cahills," he said. Vikram's nod was subtle. Isabel didn't notice, too incensed was she with the scientists.

As the door closed behind Ian and Natalie, he thought he could hear his mother shouting, "The point of being Lucian is to plan ahead! Always, Dmitri. _Always!_"

He looked at his sister, who seemed to shrink further into his arms at the sound of Isabel's voice.

"She's scary, isn't she?"

The toddler nodded.

* * *

"Whatever happened to 'I'll go check'? These Lucians take too long. Don't they realize that their _guests _are blindfolded and waiting in a room that will not relay any pleas for help?"

Dan was ranting for the sixteenth time. Amy had yet to lose count. She sighed. "I doubt they'd help us, Dan."

Her brother seethed. "Stupid Kabras, stupid Lucians, stupid potion turning people to babies," he grumbled.

Static filled the confines of the room. Then: "The Lucian operators would like Amy and Dan Cahill to stop insulting their hosts. Unless, of course, you are ready to face the electric chair in three minutes." The voices were smooth, their words dripping with slime and sarcasm. The static soon faded.

That kept Dan quiet for the rest of their wait.


	7. Chapter 7

"Brother!"

"The monster is back," Dan said, trying to be sarcastic and failing. The threat had left a visible effect on him – his moments of inhalation and exhalation were sparse, he did not speak much, and for the first time, he hadn't been trying to annoy Amy. In fact, he was trying to ignore his sister, Natalie and Ian. He could still feel the camera trained on his every move, and he could still hear the voice saying, "Electric chair?" over and over again. As much as Dan loved adventure, he was not quite ready for some of its consequences. Electric chair sounded cool – until you were sitting on it.

"Shush," Amy said. She was just as aware of the hidden surveillance systems, and the threat hadn't dissipated from the air yet. For the first few minutes of silence on Dan's end, she had become worried. But then she had realized what caused it, and now she was on her guard. She wanted to take off the blindfolds – it was an easy enough task, considering that she and Dan weren't tied down – but it would aggravate the Lucians, and they would send a team of agents to wipe out any evidence of her and her brother's existence on Earth. She knew that and so, like Dan, she'd kept her mouth shut for close to an hour.

"Brother!" Natalie screamed again, somehow managing to wiggle out of Ian's grasp. She toddled over to where Dan sat. He seemed unresponsive, quiet so far save the four words he'd uttered when the sound of Natalie's arrival reached his ears. Natalie tugged at the rolled-up cuffs of his cargo pants, then at his hands, then at the hem of his shirt. There was no reaction. She tilted her head to the side, waiting for a single word. There was none. She took a deep breath.

Natalie wailed. It was a full-on temper tantrum, complete with kicking and punching. Dan was subjected to her flailing arms and cruel feet, and the wail continued to stream out of her mouth. She moved on to the breakable objects scattered all around the room: vases, a glass bowl, ceramic fixtures, porcelain ornaments. Ian stepped out of the way, choosing to let his sister rampage and destroy the room. The tantrum would soon wear off, and besides, he'd been looking for an excuse to redecorate the room anyway. The Budget Committee had been unreasonable during the last conference, insisting that the Surveillance Room was fine the way it is, though Ian did not quite agree. The last time anything about had changed was in the 1950s. He decided not to scold Natalie, going over to Amy and untying the blindfold that covered her eyes.

"Ian, she's –"

"Let her," Ian said, cutting her off. "It will wear off soon. I'm too tired to deal with her right now." Amy frowned, and he was reminded of her annoyance with him. She was still mad at him for that comment he'd carelessly thrown her way. He sighed.

"Well, _I'm not._" Amy marched over to Natalie and picked up the broken pieces cluttering the floor. Natalie paid her no attention, still wailing. Ian shook his head at the sight that the two girls created, and untied Dan's blindfold.

The next thing he knew, Ian had been pushed to the side. He fell, landing on his backside, and sat with some discomfort on ceramic shards. Natalie was slapping Dan, and the victim was wincing but let himself be slapped. Amy looked up at the absence of the anticipated wail and saw her 'daughter' abusing her brother. She dropped the pieces she'd gathered back on the floor and ran to her brother's aid.

"Natalie! Dan!" she exclaimed. She saw Ian, sitting on the floor. "Get your lazy butt up and control your sister!" Ian was too shocked at her outburst to respond.

_Thwap!_

The last slap left a singing red mark on Dan's cheek. His head had twisted to the right, arms half-raised and crossed in a halfhearted attempt to protect himself. Amy froze in the act of dragging Ian up from the floor. Ian's eyes darkened. Natalie stood there, perhaps surprised by her own act.

Dan turned his head to face her. "That hurt," he said. Then he stood. "Where's the restroom? I need to pee."

Ian got up, too. Amy still had a hand on his arm, and he stared at it long enough for her to get the hint. She released his arm and gathered Natalie in a motherly embrace. The little girl's gaze was on Dan. "Bwathaa," she lisped. "Bwathaa!"

"Put some ice on your cheek, Dan," Amy said. She rocked Natalie, singing a soft lullaby this time, one that Ian could not criticize this time because he could hardly hear it. Ian could, to be honest, hear it, but he did not offer any derogatory remark. Instead, he opened the door leading to the hallway. Dan followed.

Amy glanced down at Natalie. The little girl was now sucking on her thumb.

"Bad girl," she said, then quickly shot a nervous look all around her.

* * *

Footsteps. They echoed throughout the hallway, uninterrupted by any other sound except for the closing and opening of doors, and the brief snatches of chatter. Once or twice, Lucian employees greeted Ian, and glared at Dan. Dan pretended to not notice them, focusing on the plush red carpet beneath his feet, and the image of Ian's shiny black shoes in his peripheral vision. The shoes glinted in every light that hit it. They turned this way and that, and Dan's badly-scuffed sneakers stalked the black shoes.

"Here you go." The shoes stopped moving, and so did Dan's. He raised his head. Ian was gesturing to yet another set of doors, with a sign hanging above their heads.

"I'll wait for you here."

Dan made no comment. He went in. He went in, and then leaned on the door as he stared up at the ceiling.

It was only a threat. _Only a threat, _he reminded himself. But threats were still dangerous, and threats could still hurt him and Amy. He remembered guns pointed at him. He remembered snakes thrown down on them. He closed his eyes and found himself in an airplane taxiing down the runway, a car barreling towards them with no regard for anyone's safety. Explosions tearing down buildings and caves and burying them in rubble. Fire, bright and hot, consuming everything that was important to them. He opened his eyes.

_Only a threat, only a threat, _he repeated in his mind. He walked to the sink and splashed cold water on his face. He met gazes with his dripping reflection on the mirrors.

"They weren't serious," he said out loud.

There was a knock on the door. "Is everything all right inside there, Daniel?"

_Ian. _"No, everything's fine," he called out. He turned off the faucet, and used a face towel to wipe off the remaining drops of water on his face.

Then he went out.

* * *

Natalie was asleep. Amy put her down on a relatively undamaged sofa. Then she was on all fours, crawling back and forth as she cleaned the place. Soon the trash was swept off to a corner, the toppled furniture were arranged, and most of the room seemed to be in order.

Ian and Dan arrived.

"We have something to discuss," Ian announced. He stopped. His eyes took in the room, which had been a mess when they'd left; now it was miraculously spic and span, and the miracle was sitting on the sofa, cradling Natalie. Her green eyes flashed with something akin to an unspoken challenge. But he must be hallucinating, because when he blinked, those eyes were curious.

"What is it?" Amy asked. She shifted Natalie so that the child was better positioned on her lap.

Ian sat down. Dan decided to stay standing.

"Our parents have scheduled a visit to the Swiss Alps a week ago," he said.

"And so?" Dan's spirit was returning, and he was as obnoxious as ever. Amy didn't know whether or not she should feel relieved.

"And so we will be the ones to monitor the antidote's progress, take care of Natalie, things like that. In lieu of this development, I shall be asking you to stay at our house for three days, which is the shortest waiting time for a decent antidote to be formulated. I can send for clothes, and other necessities, if you so wish."

"Can you send for an Xbox?" Dan asked, clearly more interested in his video games. But then, what was so interesting about chemicals? Amy, however, was excited.

"May we watch the process?" she asked. She wanted to be part of it, wanted to see how it was done. And perhaps, she and Dan might just be able to get –

"No. It is restricted to Lucian access only. Top-ranking Lucians, to be exact."

Amy's mood was considerably dampened. Before she could reply, a growl pierced the air. It came from Dan, who was not in the least bit embarrassed.

"I'm hungry," he said, shrugging.

* * *

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* * *

Edited the typos, though I'm not sure I've caught most of it. Somebody please remind to not write a story at 1 am for 15 minutes, and expect it to be typo-free. I must be insane. Who wakes up at 1 am just to update a story?**_


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